A legendary Viking warship has been reconstructed and has set off to retrace the ancient voyage to the Irish capital Dublin, originally a Viking settlement.

Vikings once struck fear into the hearts of coastal communities across northern Europe, and now a group of Norse seamen are once again sailing straight for Dublin, Ireland. But this time the voyage is not about rape and pillage, but about scientific discovery.

This replica of Viking warship, the Havhingsten fra Glendalough (Sea Stallion of Glendalough), the largest Viking warship ever made,set sail for Dublin from Denmark on Sunday in a bid to retrace the perilous journeys of 1,000 years ago. Like the original, the replica ship is made of oak and measures 30 meters long and 4 meters wide. Scandinavian shipbuilders spent four years reconstructing the warship using the original methods and replicas of Viking-era tools.

The hardy seafarers are facing a tough seven-week voyage that will take them across the North Sea and around the northern tip of Scotland. They will be braving the elements on the open deck, with little shelter, and each with only about a square meter of space.

Around 4,000 people gathered in Roskilde on Sunday to cheer on the warship as it set off on its voyage